Black Cocoa Whoopie pies

For the final nfl regular season weekend, I am providing 2 treats for tomorrow morning at ESPN Radio. These are black cocoa whoopie pies. Black cocoa is used in oreos, so these taste like soft oreos. And I made an oreo like filling too. Woo hoo.

A reminder to scoop your flour/baking cocoa/powdered sugar from your container into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. Also preheat your oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so it cycles to the right temp.

  • Whoopie pie ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbs water
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup baking cocoa
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tbs cornstarch

Directions – preheat oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, water and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. Scoop out 1.5 to 2 tbs dough (I used a cookie scoop) and stagger on prepared cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 11 minutes (no longer so they don’t dry out. Cool completely.

  • Filling mixture list
  • 1/4 cup crisco
  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tbs sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbs water (or more)

Directions – in a bowl, blend ingredients well. Spread between 2 cookies.

Store in covered container. Thanks for stopping by today! I’m hoping my Bills have a playoff spot clinched before we kick off against the Dolphins Sunday night.

Mini chip snowball cookies

These cookies are a huge hit. Messy, because of the powdered sugar, but a hit nonetheless. They are similar to a Mexican wedding cake/Italian wedding cookie/Russian tea cakes. I do not use walnuts, but do use mini chocolate chips. Regular size chocolate chips would not work. They would be too big.

Remember to scoop your powdered sugar, as well as your flour, from your bag into your measuring cup so you get the correct amount. Also, preheat your oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. I baked mine for 10 to 12 minutes, no longer. You don’t want them to overbake and dry out.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar (scooped from your powdered sugar bag into your measuring cup)
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 3 cups flour (scooped from your flour bag into your measuring cup)
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions- preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, cream butter and powdered sugar. Add vanilla. Fold in flour, one cup at a time. Mix in chips. Scoop out 1 1/3 tbs dough (I used a cookie scoop). Stagger on prepared sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle warm cookies with powdered sugar. Cool completely. Sprinkle with more powdered sugar. Store in covered container.

Chocolate chip cutout cookies

Wrapping up my Christmas cookie cutouts with a chocolate chip version. These are awesome and a fun variation of cutouts. Use mini chocolate chips to make it easier to use your cookie cutters!

Honestly, I make sandwich cookies with cutouts because my decorating skills are a disaster!

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. Also, preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so it cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tbs water
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 4 cups flour
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/8 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chip

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl, cream sugar and butter. Add eggs, water and vanilla. Slowly blend in dry ingredients. Fold in chips. Sprinkle your countertop with flour. Roll out the dough and cut. Place cutouts on prepared sheets. Bake 6 to 8 minutes, depending on thickness of cookies. Do not bake longer. Cool and frost or use frosting between 2 cookies for sandwich cookies.

Santa!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Gingerbread men

Gingerbread man

In the spirit of the season, I present another holiday cookie – gingerbread men. They can also be reindeer. You just flip the cookie upside down. The reindeer nose is the gingerbread man’s head and the antlers are his feet! You could even add a little cinnamon hot candy on the reindeer’s nose to make him a Rudolph!

Rudolph, but without his shiny red nose

I made these into sandwich cookies, so the filling recipe is at the end. You don’t have to do that, of course.

I did chill the dough overnight and took it about an hour before I was ready to bake. Mine always wind up large, probably because I don’t roll out the dough as thin as I should.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. I also recommend preheating the oven for 20 minutes before baking so it cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients cookies
  • 6 tbs butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup molasses
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tbs water
  • 3 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tps salt
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves

Directions – cream butter and brown sugar. Add egg and water. Blend in dry ingredients. Mixture will be crumbly so you may have to mix it for a while for it to come together. You may even need to add another tbs or 2 of water. Cover and chill.

Take dough out of fridge about an hour before baking cookies so the dough is easier to work with. In a floured surface, roll out the dough with a rolling pin to the thickness you want and cut with cookie cutters. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and stagger cookies. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake 8 to 9 minutes. Cool completely.

  • Filling
  • 1/4 cup butter melted
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Milk

Directions – in a bowl, blend butter and powdered sugar. Stir in vanilla. Add enough milk to get the consistency you want and spread between two cookies. Store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by today. I wish you peace, joy and love.

Smores cookies bars

Amidst all the holiday baking with cutout sugar cookies, snickerdoodles and gingerbread men, I went a little outside the box and decided to make smores cookie bars. They are quite simple and are topped with marshmallow buttercream frosting and melted milk chocolate chips. We are going to our friends’ house tonight for a Christmas party and these are what we are bringing.

Remember to preheat your oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so your oven cycles to the right temp. Also, spoon your flour bag from your flour container

  • Bars ingredients list
  • 1 cup crisco (original or butter flavor)
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 cups flour (scooped your flour bag into your measuring up so you get the right amount)
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups finely crushed graham crackers

Preheat oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a 9×13 pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray. In a bowl, cream crisco, brown sugar and sugar. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients and crushed graham cracker. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes (edges just turn golden). Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup marshmallow fluff
  • 2 1/2 cups to 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 to 3 tbs heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and fluff. Mix in powdered sugar slowly. Add cream and vanilla. Blend to desired consistency. Frost cooled bars. Top with melted chocolate. Store in covered container.

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I wish you a day filled with peace and love.

Chocolate hot cocoa and marshmallow chip cookies

I saw this wonderful creation from Nestlé at Aldi and I bought, not one, but 2 bags. Hot cocoa and marshmallow chips? Genius!

I figure pop one bag in some chocolate cookie dough and magic happens.

I put up both our trees this weekend.. and pulled put my favorite ornament. (I also love the red haired doll from Rudolph, which is right next to it). It is year 34 with this Bills ornamant, and am hoping Santa comes through this time!

Go Bills!

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount, scoop out your dough and then chill the individual mounds at least an hour, and preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so it cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 tbs vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup plus 3 tbs sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 3 3/4 cups flour
  • 3/4 cup baking cocoa
  • 3 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 bag of hot cocoa chips
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions – cream butter, oil, sugar, and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. Fold in chips. Scoop out dough (I used my cookie scoop that is 6 tbs worth). I formed them into tall mounds and chills them for at least an hour. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Stagger cookies on prepared sheets. Bake 15 to 18 minutes. Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by today! Remember to be kind! Go Bills!

Sugar Cookie Bars

I wanted to make cookies for work tomorrow morning as college football’s championship weekend wraps up, but I am also tired (because i put up one of our Christmas trees), so I make them into sugar cookie bars instead.

My Christmas tree topper!

Remember to scoop from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. Preheat your oven to 35p degrees for 20 minutes before baking. And, don’t bake these longer than 10 to 12 minutes. They may seem a little doughy, but you don’t want them to dry out.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup crisco
  • 1/2 cup butter crisco
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbs water
  • 1 egg
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes so your oven cycles to the right temp. Spray a 9×13 pan with baking spray. In a bowl cream crisco, butter crisco and sugar. Add egg, eater and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. (If dough seems to sticky, add another 1/4 cup flour). Press evenly into prepared pan. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 4 to 6 tbs milk (depending on consistency you want)
  • 1 tsp vanilla

In a bowl, cream butter and powdered sugar. Add milk and vanilla. Frost Bars. Cut and store in covered container.

Oreo Brookie brownies

An oreo layer on the left, nutter butter on the right

I could not decide between making brownies or chocolate chip cookies, so I combined them and put a layer of oreos in between them and baked them up. I thought of putting melted chocolate on top, but decided that would be too much. 😀

Remember to preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Also, scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. Do the same drill with your baking cocoa.

  • Brownie ingredients
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup baking cocoa
  • Oreos

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper and spray with baking spray. In a bowl, combine sugar, oil, and milk. Beat in eggs and vanilla. fold in dry ingredients. The mixture will be thick. Spread into bottom of prepared pan. Layer with oreos. Set aside

  • Chocolate chip layer
  • 1/2 cup butter softened
  • 1/4 cup butter flavor crisco
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 3/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – in a bowl, combine butter, crisco, sugar, and brown sugar. Add egg, yolk, and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. Mix in chips. I grabbed handfuls of dough and flattened them like a pancake and placed them on top of oreo layer.

Bake in 350 degrees in a preheated oven for 15 minutes. Cover with tin foil to keep edges from getting too brown. Bake another 20 to 25 minutes (or possibly longer). Try not to let the edges get too brown. I would rather underbake than overbake. If you feel it is underbaked after you cut brownies up, you can chill them overnight in the fridge. That helps firm them up.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Remember to be kind!

Browned butter chocolate chip bars

Tuesday is the annual day of giving, which encourages people to do good. Tuesday is also the start of V Week at ESPN to raise money for cancer research. If you can help, go to v.org to donate.

For part of my effort to put good into the world, I made browned butter chocolate chip bars. Very easy to make. Remember to preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.

Some decided to cut into the bars

To brown your butter, put it in a pan and melt over low heat, keep cooking it until you see light brown specs. Then immediately remove from heat.

  • Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, browned and cooled 10 minutes
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – line and 8×8 pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combined browned butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Blend in flour and salt. Fold in chips. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Bake 20 minutes (no longer). Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by today. Remember to put some good out into the world.

Chocolate cheesecake with an oreo crust

I asked Rob what he wanted for Thanksgiving dinner this year, and he said lasagna. He despises turkey and the rest of the Thanksgiving fixings, so the last few Thanksgivings I have worked and we have had lasagna for our dinner on 🦃day. And when it came to dessert, Rob requested chocolate cheesecake. I think I do pretty well, even though I am new to making cheesecakes. (Cheesecake factory has nothing to worry about though) 😉

I pre-baked the oreo crust for 10 minutes because that is what I see people recommending online for cheesecake crusts. Something about keeping the crust from getting soggy.

Here is a peek at the oreo crust
  • Crust ingredients
  • 24 oreos, finely crushed
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line the inside of a 10 inch springform pan with tin foil on the bottom and halfway up the sides. In a bowl, combine crumbs and butter. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes. While crust is in the oven, prepare cheesecake.

  • Cheesecake ingredients
  • 24 ounces cream cheese, softened (I used neufchatel, which is softer, less calories, and lower fat)
  • 14 ounce can condensed milk
  • 12 ounce semisweet chocolate chips, melted
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla

In a bowl, beat cream cheese smooth. Add condensed milk. Blend in melted chocolate. Beat in one egg at a time. Stir in vanilla. Pour over crust. Bake 70 minutes at 300 degrees. Remove from oven. Cool completely. Store covered in fridge.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Wishing you peace and happiness. And please, remember to be kind.